Drum sander: hook and loop conversion?

[Morecowbell]

Have any of you converted your drum sander to hook and loop sandpaper? Mine has the sliding plastic clips so I'm thinking about converting to the metal spring clips or hook & loop. H & L seems like it would make changing the paper a lot easier but was curious if there are any issues with the added cushion of the hoop & loop approach or any other drawbacks?

Thanks

[MaineGeezer]

These comments are about my homemade thickness sander, and I don't know how applicable my experience may be to anything else.
I started off using wedges to hold the ends of the samdpaper strip. Then I tried hook-and-loop. There were problems, the first being the choice of what size hooks to use. They come in different sizes, with varying degrees of aggressiveness, and I had no idea (still don't) which would be the best match for the loop material on the back of the sandpaper. It doesn't seem to grip particularly well, and I still secure the ends so they won't peel off.
As far as the padding effect, if anything, that seems t\o be an advantage.

[Morecowbell]

Thanks for the head's up on that issue, definitely not something I would have thought about!

I'm inclined to go with the spring clips but they have their own issues - in addition to being tough to manipulate, the inboard one has been tough to get for months now. That's probably my next stop - if its still not available that changes the decision tree.

At the moment the outboard side is being held by the plastic clip. The inboard side has the plastic clip also but its really difficult to use and usually loosens the strip if you can get it to work. I've tried duct tape and at the moment am using velcro. It does the job but I'd like to have a better long term solution, and would also like to be able to change belts in a reasonable amount of time.

[MaineGeezer]

I don't remember which of these I got https://www.mcmaster.com/hook-and-loop/

You can see why I didn't know what to get!

[Skarsaune]

I use the hook & loop on my home built sander. It has worked fine for years.
I got the velcro I used at one of the big box stores, probably Lowes.
EDIT - it's the "Industrial Strength" velcro from Lowes.
I run a wrap of filament tape around the drum at each end as a precaution. No clips.

I consider the padding effect an advantage, also.

My big 24" Grizzly sander users the clips. I run tape around the ends of that one as well.
It works, too.

[Morecowbell]

I'm back on this subject. I just converted to the spring clips and was all excited for this "improvement" only to have the paper move and overlap which caused some deep gouges and charring, so I think I'm headed to hook & loop in the near future! But two questions before I let you go:

1) the H & L rolls I see seems to be paper backed, while other drum sandpaper is cloth backed. Are the hook & loop paper backed rolls correct for a drum sander?

2) what grits do people use for east Indian rosewood? I've been using cloth backed 80 grit and it's getting clogged & glazed fairly quickly....

Signed,

Beating the Drum in Indy

[Dobroguy]

Here's what I can add;
This picture shows my sanding drum with velcro attached sand paper. This picture was taken this morning and I've sanded two backs & tops plus four sides (all maple) for my twin Dobro project. I know this isn't a high volume but the sandpaper looks and feels like new. This was my first sanding attempt and I left a lot of extra thickness to be safe as I had no prior experience with a drum sander. So many passes were required for each piece to get down to the desired thickness. I tried using 80 grit on a buddy's sander, which left a rather coarse sanded surface. So I went with 120 grit. Here's where I bought my velcro & paper:
https://onlinesupply.ca/klingspor-abras ... 50&page=50

Drum.JPG

Sandpaper.roll.JPG

[Morecowbell]

Many thanks DG, I've heard nothing but good things about Klingspor. I've discovered that the two parts are sold separately so I've got that part sorted. Having just shelled out for the clips I think I'll try to make it through this build with them, but if the paper keeps moving the experiment will be short-lived.

I'm still learning with mine -having just taken it apart and reassembled it several times I've just realized that I can do a fairly simple re-configuration which will eliminate the original cantilever design and also give me more accurate table adjustment, both of which should simplify my sanding life. I know there's a good sander in there somewhere, I just have to find it.

[carld05]

If you're having table adjustment problems with your old performax, use a flat piece of 3/4" ply or MDF that's the width+ and length+ of your back or side or anything else and run it through the sander several times keeping it in the same orientation to establish a flat side. Mark this "sled" on the edge so it goes through the same way every time. The top will now be parallel to the drum. Glue on 80 grit sandpaper to the top. I use worn out belts. Use this "sled" to support the piece to be sanded. Works great. If the sander gets out of parallel again , flip your sled end for end, sand the bottom until flat, flip end for end again and Bob's your Uncle.

[Morecowbell]

Thanks Carl - I picked up this sander about halfway through my first build and it was a godsend but being an older model with a homemade stand it wasn't totally dialed in. I stumbled onto the sled trick and ended up making a few different ones, it works very well.